Sentakushi
by Kirikiri Mai
Summary: In a world where most ninjas are male, Tenten has to hide her identity to become one of them. She struggles with her feminity and with love in her path to becoming a ninja. Believe it or not, there is a plot. TentenNejiOC
1. Beginning

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the naruto characters

My story is inspired by Tamora Pierce's books. I'm boring and I have no originality, but I hope to eventually change that.

Tenten and her friends are all about 10 years old at the beginning of this fic.

Somewhat AU, maybe neji-ten later.

She was furious. All she had worked for would be gone, gone in a flash if she was to do what her parents wished.

"No! Mother, please leave me alone! I refuse to go to that so-called 'finishing school'! Let me develop my skills in weaponry and martial arts! You can't deny that I'm better at it than most people, even the boys!"

"Tenten! I'm tired of arguing with you about this! For the nth time, I will not let you run around like a wildcat anymore, doing whatever you please! It's high time you learned how to look and act like a lady!" Her mother started to raise the intensity of her glare.

Tenten stared, feeling the anger rolling off her mother in waves. _No! I won't give in! I'm just as angry as she is, and I've spent all this time training for nothing? What can I do though? She'll never let me alone to do my own things… I'll definitely need some counseling in this._

"Tenten--" But it was too late. Before her mother could finish what she was saying, Tenten had run off so she wouldn't have to listen to her mother rant, and so she could figure out how to make it all work out. "Tenten…" her mother muttered and narrowed her eyes. "You better not pull any tricks on me…" She ominously ended her sentence.

Meanwhile, Tenten had run off toward her friend Haruno Sakura's house, where she hoped Sakura could give her some advice on how to deal with her mother and how she could pull off what she had wanted ever since she was little, to become a ninja. She ran down the road, passing shops, restaurants, houses, finally reaching a medium sized building of light brown wood. Steadying herself, she took a deep breath and knocked.

"So she started harping on being a 'little lady' and talking about sending me to finishing school again!" Tenten fumed to her friend. She glared at the wall as if she could burn a hole through the innocent wood. The wall seemed to cower under her gaze.

Sakura, who also shared her interest in the fighting arts, was more compliant with her parents' wishes and didn't mind becoming a lady that much, so she was going to be off to finishing school in a matter of weeks. She sighed. She really wanted to help Tenten achieve her dream of becoming a ninja, there been any female ninja for the past fifty years, partly because few girls wanted to live the hard life, and partly because females were rarely accepted to the ninja academy. Still, her loyalty to her friend prevailed, and she pushed her common sense away. _Sigh… I hope I wont regret this._

"Okay… here's what we'll do. First, since ninjas-in-training will be living at Ninja Camp & Headquarters, a.k.a. the Ninja Academy, you'll first have to get ready to leave home for… say…several years?" Sakura slightly hoped this would discourage her friend though she knew it probably wouldn't. Well, it was worth a shot.

"Of course!" Tenten replied. "I've already bought all the clothes I'll bring along, and naturally some weapons too! Besides, that's how long I would be away at finishing school anyway. Come on, use that big brain of yours to think up something I can say to my mom, who happens to be pissed off and will need to be tricked into thinking that I'm going to go compliantly to finishing school."

_Tenten, compliant, finishing school? Those words just don't go together without a 'not' in there, ever. _Inner Sakura laughed to herself. "Anyway… as I was say-ing, you'll need to prepare all that stuff, and furthermore… someone at finishing school will have to send your parents' letters to the Ninja Academy so you can reply while convincing them that you're still at finishing school. Yes, you'll say that you're going to finally give in and-- "

"_Naturally, _you'll help me do the letter part, right?"

"As a friend, I guess… I will." Sakura faked a long-suffering sigh. "But you should know, there will be many, many problems for a girl attending ninja school… you're posing as a boy, right? Yeah, it will simplify some things. Boys won't try to chase you away, or act superior if they think you're 'one of them'; they'll probably treat you as one of them. Hopefully, at least. They might not be normal though, you never know. I once heard something about this guy…" Sakura rambled off about a story of a ninja trainee that started to dance in his boxers in class in his third year of schooling. "… So we wouldn't want your _innocent_ eyes tainted by something like that, would we?" Sakura laughed out loud (A/N: she lol'ed:O).

Tenten rolled her eyes and poked Sakura in the shoulder. "Innocent? I wouldn't be talking if I were you, _dear_ Sakura."

"Oh that reminds me, the clothes you bought are boys' clothing, right? Did you get _boxers_ too?" She sniggered.

Tenten rolled her eyes yet again but nodded, remembering how strangely the saleslady had looked at her that day. "Well, I'm obviously going to wear underwear underneath."

"Anyway, back to the point. Once you get back home, you should tell your mom that it's useless for you to argue with her, and make sure to look dejected and downtrodden, like all the hope in your life has been sucked away. We wouldn't want her to suspect something because of a few missing theatrics, after all. Acting is very important."

"Yes, _acting is very important._" Tenten mimicked her friend and stuck out her tongue.

As the sun set, Tenten began to make her way back. She hummed a little tune and envisioned the far-off future, when she would finally be a ninja. Never before had her world felt so perfect. Everything was going to turn out all right. Her dream _was_ going to come true.

The road leading to her house came to an abrupt stop, and Tenten took a moment to compose herself. _Acting. Right now, it's all an act._ She allowed a depressed, beaten look to envelop her and slouched her shoulders. Just as she was about to knock, her mother jerked the door open. The look on her face was incredibly scary, but as soon as she saw Tenten, she relaxed a bit. Not that it made much of a difference, but anyway. "Where were you? I was just about to look for you! Don't run off again, especially in the middle of while I'm talking to you! And don't think we've solved the problem either! Your father and I aren't about to change our minds soon, so you better prepare yourself for years at the ladies' school! Why-"

Tenten cut her off. "Yes mother, I know." She sighed and somehow managed to leak a tear out of her eye. Inwardly, she thought: _I could be an actress, haha. _"I went to talk to Sakura, and she convinced me that it was no use to try and argue with you anymore. Fate is fate. I guess I'm fated to be a lady."

Her mother blinked. And blinked. And stood there with her mouth agape. She couldn't believe it! Her daughter had finally given up on her foolish dream and decided to _listen_ to her parents! What a miracle! _It must have been that Haruno girl's doing. I must remember to thank her one of these days._ She beamed. "Why Tenten, this is great news! I

must go tell your father! This is …this is… wonderful!" She hurried off in search of Tenten's father.

Tenten smirked. _It worked. She fell for it hook, line, and sinker. I'll have to thank Sakura one of these days.._


	2. Beginning II

**Sentakushi** - In case anyone is wondering, this means "choices." A bit more info on the story:

All of the 'main' characters in this story are somewhat affluent, so they're at a higher standing than other civilians. Also, ninjas are held in higher regard by common people. They need to know manners too because they have to deal with the daimyo and his family and other well-off people. Even though they get hired by this group (and all are 'subjects' of the daimyo), they can be considered equal to them in standing. So don't be surprised if... they court one another. ¬¬

Hopefully this will provide a more thorough explanation and will answer some questions. Thanks reviewers, and more reviews are always welcome!

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They were off. Tenten and Sakura would ride with each other until the crossroad, and from there it would be the parting of ways; Tenten, to Ninja Academy with a hired guide, and Sakura, to Yosoyuki finishing school with one of the Haruno ancillaries, just as Sakura had planned it out.

Earlier that day…

"Tenten! Where are you going?" Sakura ran up to her friend, who happened to be walking to Ichiraku's for some ramen.

"Ichiraku's, why? What is it, Sakura?" Tenten looked quizzically at her.

"Oh, can I join you? Anyway, I've planned out how you're going to get there! To the Ninja Academy! You did realize that you couldn't just _go _there by yourself, did you?"

Tenten mentally slapped her forehead. _Shit, I _didn't _think of that. Holy crap…_Her eyes bugged out and she started panicking. She began to pace back and forth hurriedly.

Sakura raised her eyebrows. _At that rate, she'll make a rut in the road in no time._ "From your reaction, I'm guessing you _just_ thought of it. Well, don't worry, like I said, I have it all planned out." She nonchalantly resumed the walk to Ichiraku's.

Tenten sighed with relief. _Whew, that was a close one. I have to think more carefully about these things. Next time something like this happens, Sakura won't be there to help me._

"Oy, hurry up!" Tenten scanned the path. Sakura was already far down the road. She jogged, hurrying to catch up. "You slow down! And you haven't even told me what your plan is!"

Sakura laughed, eyes sparkling. "I'll tell you at the ramen shop. Race you there!" And with that, she ran off, Tenten at her tail.

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"I'm glad you were here to help me Sakura." Tenten looked at her friend seriously. "Without your help, I might have screwed up a lot of things."

"But now we're departing for our own ways, and we're on our own now." They were left to their own thoughts for a while, each musing to herself, and they rode in silence. All too soon, they came to the crossroads where they would part. If possible, the forest grew even dimmer and quieter. (Quite the dramatic effect.)

"Well, I guess this is—this is it…" Tenten faltered in her speech.

"Yes, it is…Goodbye Tenten. Let's not drag out these farewells any more than we have to. Sayonara, may your training go well and your secret safe." Sakura smiled a sad smile.

"Good luck to you too. Enduring all that lady training… I don't know how you'd stand it." With that, they separated, Tenten and her guide to the left, and Sakura and her servant to the right.

(From here on there will be few, if any, mentions of Sakura until much later.)

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Tenten and her guide made their way slowly through the dense foliage of the Konoha forest. They rode on for a few hours, passing no signs of human habitation, just the endless greenery all around them. Finally, the guide stopped.

"Up ahead. The Ninja Academy. Go straight through the village. You'll come to it soon." He spoke brusquely and to the point. "I will be leaving you here now, and I'll need the pony back." Tenten dismounted and handed over the reins. He nodded and led the horse away. Like a snowman in the middle of summer, all traces of them disappeared, into the trees.

_Well, I've got everything I need… I think. I hope._ She began her walk to her future residence. Soon a clearing came into her view, then some buildings, and some more, until there were shops and houses all around her. She bit her lip and glanced around. The townsfolk didn't notice her, and if they did, it was only for a brief moment, and then they would go back to their business. _Straight through the village. Right. _Increasing her pace, she strode on quickly, eventually nearing a long building at the end of the road. With a deep breath, she plunged ahead through the imposing double doors.

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A man was sitting at a desk inside the entrance room, shuffling some papers and filing some folders away. He looked up to see a nervous kid in front of him, holding out registration papers. Taking them, he glanced at the details. _Name: Saki Tenrai_. _Age: 10. Hair: Short, brown. Eyes: Brown. Height: 147 cm (4' 10"). Weight: 32 kg (70.4 lb). _There were other minutiae about the hometown, date of birth, and such trivia. He scrolled down to the bottom. It was a special note explaining why the parent couldn't be here to register with the kid. _Please allow Tenrai to register in the Ninja Academy. Because of certain circumstances (that shall not be revealed here), I, Saki Hara, and my spouse, Saki Karui, are not able to attend the registration. Please allow Tenrai to go straight ahead with the application. Signed, _Saki Hara.

_Oh, no wonder the parents weren't with him_, he thought. "Oy, Yoru!" An irritated man came out from a side door, scowling.

"What is it, Nomi?" he spat out. "And who's the youngster?" Yoru nodded towards Tenten.

"A new student, so to speak. He needs the standard clothing. Take his measurements and give him the right sized clothing, then send him back here," stated Nomi. As he said this, Tenten, barely stopped herself from gasping aloud. _Shit, just when I thought I had gotten through clean, no questions asked, thanks to Sakura's plan, my measurements have to be taken for _clothes_! What if I have to take off my current clothing and the Yoru person finds out that I'm a girl?_ But before she could give the matter anymore thought, Yoru had grasped her arm firmly, pulling her into his workroom.

Much to her relief, Yoru's definition of 'measuring' was simply to wrap a measuring tape across her waist and shoulders. As he left to get her clothes, Tenten mused, _well, that was simple. I worried for nothing._

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"And this is your room, Tenrai, number 127, where you will be sleeping in for the next few years as your training ensues. A trainee that's been here awhile will be your guide for the next few days, and you will follow him to the mess hall, the classes, and the training grounds. At precisely 6:00 A.M. tomorrow you will meet in the mess hall. From there on you will be given further instructions. As for the rest of today, unpack, and dinner is at 7:00 P.M. Currently the time is 5:00 P.M, so you have two hours to do whatever you want, provided that it will in no way whatsoever degrade or defile Academy property. Oh, and by the way, the clothes issued to you are for outdoor use. You'll learn more about it later. So, any questions?" Nomi took a deep breath after his explanation.

Tenten shook her head emphatically. The last thing she wanted was for him to start another lecture, and she couldn't wait to unpack her things and explore a bit. "No Nomi-san, I have no questions. None at all."

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As she stepped into her room, she took a good look around. Bare white walls on all four sides of the rectangular room stared back at her. Off to the left side was a small dresser with a mirror hanging on the wall above it. Near the far end of the room was a plain bed with a window a foot or so above it. To the right wall was a door leading to a small bathroom, complete with toilet, sink, and shower. There was also a small clock attached. _A room with the barest necessities, of course. But it's perfect for me. Almost. Just a few touches needed here and there._ She unpacked her own clothes and put them, along with the clothes issued to her, into the dresser. Taking out a small painting of a waterfall in shades of grey, she admired it awhile before hanging it on a nail that was handily provided on a wall. She also extracted her precious porcelain pandas, aesthetically arranging them on her dresser top. Finally, she pulled out a scroll with the kanji **テン **(ten) written on it, unrolling it and hanging it above the head of her bed. She stepped back viewed the room with a critical eye. _Hmm… not girly? Check. Simple? Check. Artistic? Well, **I** think so. Okay! Time to take a walk around this place before dinner, which is in…_She checked the clock, which read 6:30. _One hour and thirty minutes._ She stepped out the door, wondering what would be in wait for her.


	3. Confrontations

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto..

_Author's notes: Sorry for the short chapter. I truly want to write longer chapters, but I'm afraid the only thing I actually like to do is to edit. And edit. And edit. Edit what, you say? Edit the little bits that I've written, sadly. Sigh _

Chapter 3

As Tenten turned around, a loud, cacophonous yell sailed towards her. "You! New kid!"

Now fully facing the hallway, she bemusedly scanned her surroundings. Who had yelled at her? Just a while ago there had hardly been anyone there, but now, however, there were many boys standing around in the hallway. Tenten supposed that they had just been let out from a class. Still, she knew she should have been more aware; after all no real ninja would have been surprised by someone yelling in an academy for boys. What if she hadn't been completely ready? Carelessness was one of her worst traits, and in a place like this, she knew she had to shape up, and shape up fast. Her new classmates and future fellow ninja wouldn't allow her much time to adjust, she reluctantly admitted to herself.

Once again, someone shouted, "Kid! I'm talking to you!" This time, however, as she glanced around, she discovered who had spoken. Scrutinizing the boy closely, Tenten noted his dark brown hair and grey eyes. Perhaps he could have been quite handsome, but his face held a sneer that gave him a nasty look and demeanor. "You, short kid, you from some backwater village?" He gave a derisive laugh.

"What's it to you?" Tenten retorted. Couldn't he even speak with proper grammar the first time he met someone? Still, she had no idea why in the world he was picking on her, but she certainly wasn't going to stand for it. Her stubborn nature and somewhat hotheaded temper (once she got incensed) wouldn't let her back down anyway. Though that, she reflected, was probably something else she needed to change about herself.

A harsh laugh jolted Tenten out of her thoughts. "Ha! I was right. You don't even deserve to be here, much less have the chance to become a ninja." He replied condescendingly. "Until I say you gain the right to even call yourself a student, you should start addressing _me_ with the honorific –sama. I'm _way_ superior to you. Oh, and the name's Taheki. That's Taheki-sama to you."

Tenten was frankly stunned by his supreme arrogance and egotism. That came out of nowhere! Then anger overcame her shock. How dare he tell her what to do? He was a kid, just like her! What gave him the right to judge her?

"You-you pile of crap!" She growled, narrowing her eyes dangerously. "Taheki-sama my ass! Taheki-teme suits you way better!"

Though surprised at the insult, he quickly became infuriated and did not delay in attacking, kicking her in the shins. Greatly irate, he yelled, "You! You'd better start learning to respect your betters! Taheki-sama is what you'll always call me because I'll always be better than you, you little country bastard!"

"I'll Taheki _your_ sama!" Springing up from his attack, she punched him as hard as she could in his gut. Not finished with his assault, however, Taheki soon recovered and tackled her into the wall, raising his fist for another blow.

"What's this? Fighting again, Taheki?" a smooth voice spoke. Jerking back from Tenten as if struck, he dropped his hand to his side and raised his eyes slowly. Tenten, wondering what exactly made the bully just _stop_ like that, looked in the same direction.

A boy, it seemed, was the cause. He had a fair complexion and a thin build. His eyes were an icy blue-gray color and his hair was pale blond. He had an authoritative air about him yet did not seem overly haughty. _He's like an ice prince,_ Tenten thought. _I wonder who he is?_

The boy spoke again. "Kaito," he said, nodding at a boy standing nearby, for the fight had attracted quite a few spectators, "mind telling me what happened?"

_So, the ice prince asks his underlings rather than commanding them,_ thought Tenten, and the corners of her mouth lifted slightly.

"Well, from what I saw, Taheki tried to bully to new kid," here Kaito glanced quickly at Tenten, "by making him call him Taheki-_sama_." He spat out the last word, rolling his eyes at Taheki's antics. "The new kid refused point-blank and called him a "pile of crap", saying that Taheki-teme would suit him much better."

Tenten reddened a bit, just a little bit, as the boys standing around grinned at the spunk of the new kid, for Taheki _was_ a head taller than her. Even the pale blond kid's mouth twitched a bit.

"Then, Taheki kicked the new kid, and the new kid punched him in the gut. Taheki proceeded to tackle the kid into the wall. Then you came." In the last part, of course, he referred to the pale-blond. "Oh, and all the while, they exchanged friendly words of goodwill." Kaito smirked.

As Tenten listened to Kaito recall their mock fight, she became rather irritated at the school, or at least the people who attended it. First, a random boy from nowhere started bullying her. Then, he started hitting her, and finally, another random boy started recounting the event to yet _another_ random boy that she didn't know, and he also continually referred to her as "the new kid."

"I have a _name_, you know." Tenten twitched involuntarily when Kaito turned to her with a blank expression on his face.

The pale-blond haired boy spoke again. "Yes, I'm sure you do," he stated calmly, gazing at her with an impenetrable stare. "Would you like to tell us all what it is?" He waved a hand, indicating that 'us all' meant everyone present.

"It's Tenrai." Then, on an impulse, (for she didn't want the authoress to have to refer to the kid as a pale-blond haired boy until he decided to reveal his name), she asked, "And what's _your_ name?"

He stared at her coolly, showing no sign that he was about to answer her question any time soon. The hallway was filled with a heavy silence.

She waited, not intimidated by his response, or lack of. Someone standing behind him twitched (for twitching was so obviously _in_ at this time of the year). Tenten shifted her gaze to the boy that twitched out of curiosity. Who could be so unaffected by the atmosphere as to twitch in such tense conditions?

The boy, it seemed, was another blond with blue eyes. However, this blond's hair was a vibrant yellow with streaks of orange mixed in. Tenten momentarily wondered whether or not the streaks were natural. The boy's blue eyes were also lively and bursting with energy. They were a deep blue tinted with purple and were a great contrast to the light blue-gray hue of the other boy's eyes. There also appeared to be light marks on his face that looked like… whiskers? _How interesting…but back to the problem at hand._

Darting her eyes back to the pale-blond haired boy, Tenten waited as patiently as she could, which was not very, but luckily for her the boy would soon decide to relieve her of the pain of waiting.

Suddenly, or maybe not so suddenly, but nevertheless, the pale-blond haired boy smiled. He turned his head towards the other blond, as if telling him to answer her question. Happily, the boy who had twitched earlier obliged.

"Kohira, Yoshikuni Kohira!" He smiled widely, implying that there was more to it. Tenten raised her eyebrows at the fact that the pale blond haired boy had not giver her his name himself. Still, now that she had his name…Kohira. It sounded familiar to her, as if she had heard it before. Or perhaps, at least Yoshikuni…

"He's the Daimyo's son, you know." He winked at her, waiting for her reaction at this new bit of information.

Tenten felt her stomach turn in a strange way. "Oh."


	4. Introductions

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Sorry for the short chapter again :(

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Chapter 4

As Tenten made her way into the mess hall with her new friends, she reflected on all that had just recently happened to her.

* * *

After the exuberant blond had revealed the pale blond's name, he had proceeded to give her his own name – Naruto. Then, he started to introduce Tenten to Koshira's other friends without prompting from Koshira himself. First, there had been a dark haired, dark eyed boy with a permanent moody expression. His name was Uchiha Sasuke. Then, there was a boy called Nara Shikamaru who looked bored by the world and had his hair tied up into a high ponytail. Finally, there was a last boy – Hyuuga Neji – that had pale grey eyes and extremely long hair. Naruto had then announced that there were more, of course, but these were the ones closer to Koshira and that he would have time to introduce some other people to her that he was sure she would like to meet. Privately, Tenten thought that she had already been introduced to a plethora of people, but she wisely kept this to herself.

After being introduced to the Koshira group thanks to Naruto, Koshira himself had spoken up.

"I like how you make enemies on you first day here."

Tenten coughed and started turning red, but she refused to be embarrassed. "Why, thank you. It's just one of my many skills."

To her surprise, Kohira had actually laughed and from that point on, he had opened up considerably. They had talked some more, and each of Kohira's friends had introduced themselves a little bit more and told her about the ninja school.

Naruto told her that he was an orphan, and he had been picked up by the Academy and raised by the teachers ever since he was a baby. He told her that he had a penchant for all things ramen related (which he could never get enough of). His favorite animals were the fox, whose cunning and swiftness he respected, and the toad, which he hoped to learn to summon whenever the teachers would finally decide to teach it to them.

Sasuke didn't tell her much about himself except that he liked snakes, introspective boy that he was. However, as he was telling her this, she noticed Naruto behind him imitating his slouch, complete with his arms crossed and a frown on his face, mouthing the words Sasuke uttered. Tenten stifled a giggle at his antics, but the other boys smirked. At that point, Sasuke had caught on and immediately whipped around, bopping Naruto on his head, then turning back and finished his short address as if nothing had happened.

Neji had looked at her curiously before telling her a bit about himself. "I belong to to Hyuuga Clan, wielders of the Byakugan. I might tell, or rather show, you more about it one day if we have a chance to spar." He had then actually smiled. Tenten was taken by his amiability, for at first glance, Tenten had thought he would be an arrogant bastard, but then again, looks could be deceiving, she supposed.

Then Shikamaru had gone, at first simply saying, "This academy is bothersome." After a prod (or several) from Naruto, who had recovered amazingly quickly, he told Tenten, "Alright, looks like I'm delegated to inform you about what goes on here." He sighed and scratched head, muttering, "How troublesome." He paused.

Tenten waited. The seconds ticked by. Naruto, tapping his foot impatiently, as if Shikamaru was telling all this to him, got fed up and yelled, "Shikamaru! Hello? Continue or else I'll tell Chouji who really took his ch-mmph-" Naruto was promptly stopped mid-speech by Sasuke, who motioned for Shikamaru to hurry up.

"Okay, okay. So, there are classes of two types. One is book learning, where everyone has to learn about ninja rules, ninja sayings, ninja math problems, ninja politics and etiquette, ninja situations, ninja history, ninja science, which is learning about various plants and animals and how they can help and harm us, and you get the point."

He yawned and continued, "The second is physical learning. There, you will learn about how to perform the various ninja arts such as taijutsu, ninjutsu, genjutsu, and using ninja weapons. Every week, members of a special clan, namely those who have special techniques that are not taught at the academy, are allowed to visit the closest relative with whom they can learn these techniques from for half a day, coming back to the academy to practice." At this he nodded at Neji. "Once every other week, there will be a day in which your ninja abilities will be put to the test. Instead of going to physical education classes, everyone will congregate at the training grounds, and there people can choose between one-on-one sparring, team sparring, or trap detection and set up."

Shikamaru sighed again and grumbled, "As much as I hate to admit it, these are actually somewhat fun. But still troublesome," he quickly added. "The different types of one-on-one are taijutsu and ninja weapons only or the 'everything goes,' meaning jutsus are allowed. As for team sparring, you can choose how many people per team, but otherwise everything goes in team sparring. However, a special type of team sparring is reconnaissance, or recon for short, where one group has something they have to protect while the other team tries to get it from them.

"Finally, there's trap detection and set up, where people set up their own traps and then draw lots to see whose trap they have to make it through. Obviously the goal is to get through and not set off any traps at all, though some people do set them off just for the fun of it. There is always a way through, back and forth, because once you set a trap you have to be able to get through it without setting off your own traps. Evidently, if you set off your own trap, this shows that you aren't ready to try to get through anyone else's set up.

"There's also a combination of all three types, where six people start at opposite ends of a trap filled area, three to each side. There's a prize that they both have to try to get somewhere in the middle, and they have to get the prize and come out the other end to essentially 'win.'"

Tenten was impressed at all the information Shikamaru had just told her. Then, to her utter amazement and surprise, Kohira had invited her to join one of their team spars. At least, when she was here for a little longer and had improved her skills. "We can assess your abilities and help you become stronger so that you can later help our team out. As you might have guessed, for group sparring, we usually work together." Then, he had asked, "Which one of you will sponsor Tenrai for his first week here at the academy?" to which Neji had soon volunteered.

Then the dinner bell had rung.

* * *

"So, do you eat your vegetables, Saki?" Kohira asked, as if the whole Ice Prince thing was just a façade (which it probably was). Kohira's question broke Tenten out of her reverie, and she shook her head, asking, "What was that? Sorry, I was a bit distracted."

"Vegetables – you don't eat them much, do you?" Kohira repeated amusedly.

"What makes you think I don't?" Tenten retorted.

"Only the fact that you're so short and skinny." This put Tenten into a series of protests, which ended with the final shot, "You're not so big yourself, Yoshikuni!"

"Sama." Kohira added.

"What?" Tenten sputtered at the random comment.

"My name's Kohira, Yoshikuni Kohira, but that's Kohira-sama to you, Saki." He grinned cheerily as the others laughed at his mimicry of Taheki.

"You-you-" Then Tenten realized he was joking, and she calmed down and even laughed with the other boys. "I'll have you know, Yoshikuni-_sama_, that I go by Tenrai."

"What was that, Saki-kun?" Kohira smirked.

Tenten narrowed her eyes. "My _name_ is _Tenrai_."

"Oh, but it's just so fun to annoy you, Saki-kun. Chibi," he added afterthought.

"Whatever," Tenten muttered, half-wanting to flip the pale blond off. But she resisted the urge. "Food is more important than attempting to hold an intelligent conversation with you."


End file.
